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Opinion Get Tested for STDs This Month — It’s a Mitzvah
April is . Throughout the month, there will be events held, lessons given, and materials distributed to encourage people across the United States — straight, gay, married, cis, trans, rich or poor — to practice safe sex. All will be encouraged to get tested for STDs. At a time when the practice of safe sex,…
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Life Looking Past the Boudoir to Make Sex Holy
A recently published article in the Guardian, describes a new phenomenon of Orthodox women gifting photographs of themselves in lingerie to their husbands. A religious sex therapist said to me that this practice can help women feel more confident with their sexuality. These photos are probably no big deal — a photo from the article…
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Life Taking Back Ownership of Women’s Sexuality in Judaism
Elana Sztokman is one of the most proactive Jewish feminist thinkers on the scene today. An award-winning author of three books on gender equality in the Jewish world, a PhD in sociology and a former executive director of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Association (JOFA), Dr. Sztokman seeks the edge. This past spring, she inaugurated a…
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Opinion Actually, Dr. Ruth, the Talmud Does Not OK Rape
On Monday, Dr. Ruth Westheimer appeared on the “Diane Rehm Show” and made what have already become widely circulated remarks suggesting that, once a couple is naked and in bed together, consent is considered already granted and irrevocable: “I am very worried about college campuses saying that a woman and a man… can be in…
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Life Is Viagra for Women Kosher?
Yesterday, the New York Times an article about a pill that is being marketed as a “female viagra,” to increase female sexual desire for women who might not be feeling aroused as often as they would like, or as they feel they should. The drug is, understandably, controversial, partly because it has a high rate…
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Life Did Dr. Ruth Just Compare Rape to Jaywalking?
Someone needs to remind Dr. Ruth that “No, means no.” Everyone’s favorite dirty bubbe has faced some heavy criticism in the past couple of days after she revealed some very problematic views on consent while promoting her latest book, “The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre.” But rather than…
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Life Did Dr. Ruth Use the Talmud to Justify Rape?
Famed sex therapist and beloved IDF sniper, Dr. Ruth Westheimer has been making the media rounds touting her new book, “The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre.” And a few recent interviews have revealed some she holds on sexual consent. In an interview with Diane Rehm yesterday, the subject…
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Culture Has Dr. Ruth Gone From Sex Pioneer to Angry Bubbe?
The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre By Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer Amazon Publishing $14.95 206 Pages In the past, I’ve gotten some good life lessons from my 86-year-old grandmother. They have ranged from “survival doesn’t ask if you’re a swine” (that’s how she explains getting out of Theresienstadt…
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